Unit Lesson Plan #1: kick off
LESSON PLAN by: Logan Smith
Lesson: American Revolution Length: 35-40 minutes Age or Grade Intended: 5th
Academic Standard(s)
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SS 5.1.6 Colonization and Settlements: 1607-1763. Identify and discuss instances of both
cooperation and conflict between Native American Indians and European settlers, such as
agriculture, trade, cultural exchanges and military alliances, as well as later broken
treaties, massacres and conflicts over control of the land.
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SS 5.1.8 Colonization and Settlements: 1607-1763. Identify the early founders of colonial
settlements and describe early colonial resistance to British rule.
Performance Objectives
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After listening to the discussion over the conflict before the American Revolution, the
students will recognize key people, places, and events and learn about the key aspects to
the beginning of the French and Indian War.
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After playing the four corners game, the students will identify the New England,
England, West Indies, and African territories and their importance in the trading and
calculating of taxes that went on during the French and Indian War.
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After the discussion and the activity, the students will identify the key concepts from the
Molasses Act of 1733 and The French and Indian War with 90% accuracy.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed by their participation and effort in the four corners activity and will
also be assessed through their answers on the written quiz given at the end of the lesson.
Advanced Preparation by the Teacher:
I will need to make nametags out of poster board and string for the students to use as labels of
the four different territories: New England, England, West Indies, and Africa. I will also need to
have paper barrels made for all of the students to represent molasses and rum. The last thing I
will need is an abundant amount of pennies which will be used to pay for taxes and slaves.
Procedure:
Introduction/Motivation: To introduce this lesson I will first provide the students with
information on the conflict that led up to the American Revolution and furthermore the
Revolutionary War. This introduction will be very instructional and will include in-depth
information over the Molasses Act of 1733 which dealt with New Englanders turning molasses
and sugar into rum. It also involved the conflict between the New Englanders and the British
because of the fact that the British put a tax on both sugar and molasses. This information will
give the students some insight or background knowledge into the activity they will be doing
shortly after.
1) First we will cover the French and Indian War through a class discussion and lecture. This
lecture will be very brief and informative as to why the war took place, who was involved, who
won, what was lost and gained by both sides, and its impact as the beginning conflict of the
American Revolution. The students will then be given a timeline indicating the major events that
occurred during this historical war. They will be allowed to refer to that timeline throughout the
unit.
2) Next we will begin our four corners activity also known as the Act Out triangle trade. The
class will be divided into four groups depending on the class size with each group labeled as
New England, England, West Indies, and Africa and each group consisting of a different amount
of people. Next I will assign each student a role to play within their group. Signs can be made
out of construction paper and string with the roles for each student written on them. These signs
will be hung around the student’s neck as each individual group will need the following: (Also
remember that not every student will have a significant role so make sure to prepare for that)
Each Group will be placed in a different corner of the classroom
New England
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1 Rum Maker
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2 Factory Workers that Make the Rum
England
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1 King George
West Indies
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1 Plantation Owner
Africa
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Rum Buyers
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Slaves (as many as you wish)
The ship captain will move from corner to corner
Tax Collector
(These two roles will not be in a particular group)
3) Start by giving each student, except for the slaves, 100 pennies. The ship captain will begin in
the Africa corner. He then loads up his ship with slaves. The captain takes these slaves to the
West Indies and sells them to the plantation owner for 1 cent each. The captain then loads up his
ship with molasses. This costs the captain 7 cents. The tax collector collects 1 cent tax for King
George.
4) Next the captain takes the molasses to New England where he sells it to 9 cents for the Rum
Maker. The tax collector collects 1 cent. The Rum Maker also gives 1 cent to his factory workers
for making the rum.
5) The Rum Maker then sells the ship captain rum for 12 cents. The tax collector collects 1 cent.
The ship captain takes the rum to Africa and sells it to the Rum Buyers for 14 cents. The tax
collector takes 2 cents.
6) Repeat this two more times. The tax collector keeps 10% of what he has collected for doing
his job, then takes the rest to King George.
7) Next have the students recount their pennies. Determine who has the most pennies? And ask
the question should the colonists be angry with King George for collecting so many taxes?
Bloom’s Questions
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What did many New Englanders make a living off of?
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Why was the Molasses Act issued?
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What year was the Molasses Act proposed?
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How did the Seven Years War affect the French and Indian War?
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What type of trading was utilized between the French and the Indians?
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What all did France lose during the War?
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What did the colonists learn about themselves during the battle?
Gardner’s Question
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Logical / Mathematical: The students will calculate the taxes being collected using the
100 pennies during the activity. Based on their percentages at the end they will
determine: Who has the most pennies? And how many pennies are left for the tax
collector if he keeps 10% of what he has collected for doing his job.
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Bodily / Kinesthetic: The students will do some role playing pretending to be: a rum
maker, a factory worker, King George, a plantation owner, a rum buyer, or a slave
throughout the four regions shown in the activity.
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Interpersonal: The students will get the opportunity to work together during the activity
by moving around the room and having selected people distribute taxes to other students
through the manipulative of pennies.
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Intrapersonal: The students will sit at their desks and listen to as well as participate in the
lecture given at the beginning of the lesson, jotting down notes if they would like. They
will also take a test independently at the end of the lesson to assess what they have
learned about the material.
Closure: The students will be given a written quiz over what they just learned on the Molasses
Act of 1733 and the French and Indian War. This quiz will consist of 10 basic review questions
with the material that was presented to them in the lecture, the timeline, and the four corners
activity.
Adaptations/Enrichment: For students with a learning disability or ADHD, the following
adaptations might be considered.
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Provide them with some facts over the Molasses Act and the French and Indian War to
help guide them through the lecture so they are not confused. Or give them
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an important role in the activity to give them a sense of confidence and understanding of
the material.
For students who need to be challenged further, the following enrichment activities might
be considered.
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Maybe provide a “challenge quiz” for those excelled learners to give them more difficult
questions over the content of the lesson.
Self Reflection: Questions to ask myself:
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Are the students paying attention and following along during the lecture at the beginning
of the lesson?
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Do they understand the material as we go through it as a class?
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Am I thoroughly explaining the key terms and concepts?
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Is everyone participating in the Four Corners activity?
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Is everyone enjoying and having fun with the activity as well as relating it to the
Molasses Act of 1733 and the French and Indian War?
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Are the students making connections to their own lives when they are performing the
different roles of the activity?
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Are they motivated to learn the material and is this teaching method enjoyable to learn?
Works Cited:
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/american_revolution.htm